A Hebrew wedding – this was a blessed event with an End Times message for the Church encapsulated in every detail of the festivities. There is no more poignant picture of love anywhere than a bridegroom standing at the altar, looking lovingly at his bride as she approaches. That’s the way Jesus looks and longs for His bride, the Church.
As we study the End Times, let’s be sure to remember that we are getting ready for a wedding – our wedding – as we become the Bride of Christ that He longs for, that He died for, that He now lives for.
It’s time for the Bride to get ready NOW.
In Jim’s book, “Time Has Come,” he talks about the wedding supper of the Lamb from the Apostle John’s perspective. Here’s an excerpt I know you will enjoy:
The Wedding You Don’t Want to Miss!
John saw and heard the announcement of the marriage supper of the Lamb, the full and final uniting of Christ and His church. The relationship of God and His people throughout the Bible is often portrayed as a marriage (see Hosea 2:19–20; Isaiah 54:5–7; Jeremiah 3:14). In the New Testament, the bride, of course, is the church, the universal group of believers from every nation, every denomination, every century.
I think that is why God is so interested in the marriage relationship, because it is meant to be a symbol of our relationship with Him. The relationship between a husband and a wife is intended to be characterized by love, intimate communion, the sheer joy of loving and being loved unconditionally, and fidelity and faithfulness between the partners. These same qualities should describe our relationship to Christ as well, only on a much deeper level.
There are all sorts of theories regarding when this wedding will occur and how long the celebration will go on. Some think it will begin at the Rapture and carry on for a thousand years. Others think it may begin after that. All of these theories are guesses, because the Bible does not tell us the time of the wedding. Instead, it tells us who is involved! The Bridegroom at this celebration is Jesus. The bride is the church, individual believers, clothed in fine white linen, bright and clean, symbolizing the righteous acts of the saints (Revelation 19:7–8).
An angel instructed John, “Write, ‘Blessed are those who are invited to the marriage supper of the Lamb’” (19:9). Whether this marriage supper is real or figurative, don’t miss the point. An invitation is involved, and anyone who refuses or ignores this most important invitation will be excluded from the celebration—forever.
Near the close of His Second Coming discourse, Jesus told a story about ten virgins, five of whom were prudent and prepared to meet the bridegroom, and five who were foolish. They all were expecting the bridegroom to come at any time, but when He didn’t come exactly on their timetable and according to their plan, they began to get drowsy. By midnight, they had all fallen asleep. Suddenly there was a shout, “Behold the bridegroom! Come out to meet him.”
The virgins quickly began trimming their lamps, getting ready to receive the bridegroom they had been awaiting so long. It was then that the foolish virgins realized the folly of their mistaken priorities. They were out of oil. They begged the prudent virgins, “Give us some of your oil, for our lamps are going out.”
But the prudent answered, “No, there will not be enough for us and you too; go instead to the dealers and buy some for yourselves.”
So the foolish virgins ran to find a dealer who was open after midnight, where they could purchase some last-minute oil.
But they were too late.
While they were gone, the bridegroom came. The virgins who were ready, who had planned ahead and had diligently maintained their watchful attitude, went in with him to the wedding feast.
That would be bad enough, but once those who were prepared for the bridegroom’s coming had gone in with him, the door was shut. When the other virgins returned, they said, “Lord, lord, open up for us.”
But he answered, “Truly I say to you, I do not know you.”
Jesus then drove home the point: “Be on the alert then, for you do not know the day nor the hour” (Matthew 25:1–13).
I believe that is the message of the hour. Be on the alert! Be prepared!
Lori,
My grandmother and mother used to always tell me: “Tomorrow’s not promised to you”. Both of them were “raised up” in the Church in the South; although, by the time I was born in 1960; that, ironically BOTH of them had already “left” the Faith of Christ; while, I myself, hungering for a “God” that I had NEVER come to have known while being raised by my mother; that NEVERTHELESS, I still had become “born-again” in Christ way back in 1981, when I was 20 years old; after having been mightily IMPRESSED with the “witness” of my fellow college students who were unquestionably “on fire” for the Lord. The fact that I became a “born-again Christian”, at 20 years of age, did little to CONVICT them to “return” unto the Lord.
Even though both of them “left” Christianity for many years before I was born [and eventually “came back” to Christ shortly before each of them had died of cancer]; that nevertheless, they still always quoted to me that good old wise saying: “Tomorrow’s never promised to you”; whenever they were giving me “words of wisdom” dealing with me using my “time” wisely and in making the “right” decisions in life.
The Parable of “The Wise and Foolish Virgins” is a REMINDER by Jesus to believers, to NOT think that they will necessarily LIVE for as LONG as they “think” that they might supposedly “live”. Only GOD knows how “long” we gonna live. NONE of us know the very “day” of our death – unless the Lord reveals it to us; and which, by the way, he RARELY – if ever – does reveal it to us anyway!
Jesus’ parable mirrors an ancient Jewish teaching in the Talmud; whereby, dealing with “preparing” your soul for Eternity with God; that accordingly, we should NEVER take God’s grace “for granted”; thinking that we’re gonna “live” a relatively “long time”. We can die ANY day of our current existence. My mother and grandmother’s Biblical training was still ingrained inside their souls; and thus, with them never stopping in quoting to me that good old saying: “Tomorrow’s never promised to you”.
As the ancient Jewish literature of the Talmud; Chapter 2, Mishna 15, Part 2, states the following:
“Then Rabbi Eliezer taught ‘Repent one day before your death.’ The Talmud (Shabbat 153a) explains that his real meaning was that a person should be in a process of Teshuva (repentance) every day, since he never knows which will be the day he will die. This perfects a person in his relation to the Almighty, for if he has sinned against God, he is repenting with his full heart and soul [returning closer to God]”.
Jesus’ parable should WARN us today; that any ONE us could die BEFORE Christ returns; let alone, die even BEFORE the Anti-Christ comes. Tomorrow’s NOT “promised” to us!!! Therefore, we should be like the “wise” virgins who kept “lit” the “lamp” of their souls with the “anointing oil” of the Holy Spirit; by them constantly – without end – seeking the Lord daily; repenting of unknown sins; consecrating themselves, and “occupying” themselves continually in faithfully doing “good works” in Christ Jesus [even as Apostle Paul likewise, in his epistles, admonishes the saints to do so].
But still, Lori, I’m in perfect agreement with you, according to what Jesus already says in his parable; that is, we should indeed get “PREPARED” daily anyway, for Eternity with God; through the RESURRECTION of our dead bodies, in Christ Jesus; instead of just wasting the Lord’s time, doing nothing;” twiddling our thumbs”, waiting around for some “RAPTURE” to take us away [that only God knows when this will happen]. And hey, who’s to say that we’ll LIVE long enough to see even THAT very day, as well???
1 Thessalonians 4:14-18 [KJV]
For if we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so them also which SLEEP in Jesus will God bring with him.
For this we say unto you by the word of the Lord, that we which are alive and remain unto the coming of the Lord shall not prevent them which are asleep.
For the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God: and the dead in Christ shall rise first:
Then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord.
Wherefore comfort one another with these words.
1 Thessalonians 5:9-10 [KJV]
For God hath not appointed us to wrath, but to obtain salvation by our Lord Jesus Christ,
Who died for us, that, whether we wake or sleep, we should live together with him.
[PS: My grandmother died of pancreatic cancer in December 1984. My mother died of colon cancer in December 1991. But before they passed away, BOTH of them made sure that they “REPENTED” towards God for having left the Faith of Christ for many years. Both of them gave their heart “back” to Christ shortly before they departed from this dear Earth that God created for us. And I know that their souls are in the bosom of God, awaiting the Resurrection of their decayed bodies!!].